Advertisement

Florida loses region final to South Carolina to fall short of Final Four

 
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26:  Rakym Felder #4 of the South Carolina Gamecocks shoots the ball against Kevarrius Hayes #13 of the Florida Gators during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2017 in New York City.  (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) 686517751
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 26: Rakym Felder #4 of the South Carolina Gamecocks shoots the ball against Kevarrius Hayes #13 of the Florida Gators during the 2017 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament East Regional at Madison Square Garden on March 26, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) 686517751
Published March 27, 2017

NEW YORK — One miracle 3-pointer sent the Gators into the East Region final against South Carolina. But there was no magic in the Gators' 3-point shooting Sunday.

When doing the autopsy on fourth-seeded Florida's 77-70 loss to No. 7 South Carolina, zero in on this stat: The Gators were 0-for-14 on 3-pointers in the second half. And that pretty much allowed South Carolina to overcome a seven-point halftime deficit for the upset.

South Carolina coach Frank Martin wondered aloud if the Gators finally crashed emotionally and physically in the second half after Chris Chiozza's OT buzzer-beater winner late Friday (actually early Saturday) against Wisconsin in the semifinal.

"What was it, 36 hours ago or something like that?" Martin said. "By the time they got back to the hotel … did they kind of run out of juice? I don't know."

The Gators wouldn't bite on that excuse.

"No, we got wide-open shots," Florida's Kasey Hill said. "They just didn't fall for us at the time."

Missing 3s in a loss to South Carolina (26-10) is nothing unusual for Florida. In a 57-53 loss at South Carolina in January, the Gators were 0-for-17 on 3s.

Still, for as poorly as the Gators (27-9) played, they had a chance to win in the final minute. A missed traveling call kept them from getting the ball while down only two with less than a minute left.

Then again, when a team turns the ball over 11 times in the first half and can't make a 3 in the second half, a missed traveling call isn't the reason it lost.

"South Carolina was better than us, period," Florida coach Mike White said.

End of an era

Sunday was the final college game for Florida seniors Justin Leon and Kasey Hill. Both said their favorite memory at Florida was Friday night, when Chris Chiozza sent the Gators to the East Region final with a 3-pointer at the end of OT. They're also proud to have helped turn the program around.

"I'm just happy that we got in the tournament," Hill said.

Leon, who led the Gators on Sunday with 18 points, said, "I'll be happy to say I was a part of getting Florida basketball back to what Florida basketball is known for."

All-tournament team

Florida's Chris Chiozza and KeVaughn Allen were named to the East Region all-tournament team. They were joined by South Carolina's Sindarius Thornwell and PJ Dozier, and Wisconsin's Nigel Hayes. Thornwell, who scored a game-high 26 Sunday, was named most outstanding player.

Tip-ins

• Florida really missed injured big man John Egbunu on Sunday. South Carolina's Maik Kotsar, who was averaging 5.7 points a game and had 11 points total in three previous tournament games, scored 12 Sunday, mostly on inside post moves.

• Celebrities in attendance at Madison Square Garden included rock legend Paul McCartney, actor Katie Holmes and country singer Darius Rucker, a South Carolina alum who was crying after the Gamecocks' victory.

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Stay updated on Tampa Bay’s sports scene

Subscribe to our free Sports Today newsletter

We’ll send you news and analysis on the Bucs, Lightning, Rays and Florida’s college football teams every day.

You’re all signed up!

Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Let’s get started.

Explore all your options

• Florida schools aren't done with Madison Square Garden this season. UCF plays TCU on Tuesday in NIT semifinals.